The Fate of the Human Bird
by Atreides03
Summary: Without any spoilers here, let's just say that something happens to a favorite Captain of ours, and he has to learn to adjust to his new home. Slight Rivetra. Won't ever be even lime. Please read and review, I really would like some feedback!
1. Prologue

_**The Fate of the Human Bird**_

" _You don't know what you treasure until it's gone."_

 _-Ancient Eldian proverb_

It was a moment that would stay for eternity in the memory of those who witnessed it. Time stopped then, and further refused to advance.

It had occurred during the final battle against the hated Marleyans, a battle which would soon after be declared a victory for our side. That victory freed us from the chains of Paradis Island forever. But that one instance of time, no more than a second, held the greatest tragedy that we could ever imagine.

All eyes were unwillingly drawn to the action, as the hand of the General of those monsters struck down a short midget of a man who needs only be known by 'Levi'. It seemed impossible at the time, and yet it happened.

The Corporal fell like a bird who had lost its wings. The blow delivered by that _demon_ nearly severed him in half. He lay upon the filth he so hated as we all threw ourselves at our enemy. Our fervor was renewed, driven by rage at the loss of a comrade-in-arms. Let us just say that neither the Marleyans nor the Eldians fighting at their side walked again after that day.

And, much to our grief, neither did the Captain. Despite the speed with which we rushed to his side with medical aid, he was already on the cusp of succumbing to his grave injury. He looked at us then with, quite shockingly, relief etched upon his features. He proceeded to say that he was tired of his friends dying in his place, and he was glad that he would die in place of us this once. With a final exhale of breath, he closed his eyes and moved no more.

Several years later, our own government has replaced the despised one of the Marleyans. Our people have spread across the continent far and wide, although a few still live on the island of our birth.

And to that island we had carefully escorted the remains of our beloved friend and captain. He is not buried, rather we have scattered his ashes across the plains. He had always much preferred them to the prison of the Underground from whence he came.

Instead of a grave we have given him a memorial flanked by two tea bushes - one green, one black. The only detail that sets it apart from any other stone in the field is the simple inscription of his name, behind which are the Wings of Freedom. There is no title preceding the four letters hewn into the rock. Titles are meaningless where he is now, and his name is known by everyone these days.

We visit that marker twice a year: once on the day of his death, the tenth day of the eighth month; and once on the day of his birth, the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month. The only offering we bring is of the white yarrow flower, which was always his favorite for a reason quite unknown to us.

The Survey Corps no longer exists, as we had disbanded shortly after the war was over. There really was no point in it continuing. There is no more danger, and we did lose one of our best soldiers. But there is also some good news. Mikasa and Eren are _finally_ engaged to be married, as are Connie and Sasha. Hange has discovered another weird obsession. And I travel the world writing books about rivers of fire and great bodies of water and seas of sand. One of those books, my dear friend, you are holding right now. We have finally found a lasting peace.

 _-From 'An Account of the Titan and Eldian-Marleyan Wars' by Armin Arlert._

 **~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

 **A/N: the date of death is quite random, and a yarrow plant symbolizes courage, healing, and protection. It's Latin name is Achillea Millefolium, 'Achillea' taken from the name of the Greek hero Achilles and 'Millefolium' meaning 'million leafed plant'. The white symbolizes purity. I made up the part about it being his favorite flower, of course, but I thought it suits him. And the flower actually does heal, too. Well, thanks for reading this weird headcanon of mine, and I hope you didn't cry a lot.**

 **Vale(te)!**


	2. It's Been A While, My Friends

**It's Been A While, My Friends**

" _And they were a flock of eagles, swooping down upon the prey."_

 _-'A Contrast of Marleyan and Paradisian Advancements in Technology', by Armin Arlert_

Everything was black. And then, in a whirl of color and sound, Levi found himself quite alone. He had just closed his eyes for a minute. So why wasn't he on the battlefield? An instant later, he realized that there was no more pain. Looking down upon himself, he saw that there was no wound, no blood, but his clothes were torn in places and his skin crusted with dirt. "Pity. I'm filthy, but least I'm clean of most of the shit I was covered in."

But where was he? All around him were plains, and there was a small town easily visible on the horizon. There were, thankfully, no trees or Titans, not that it would have mattered anyway. His 3D-Mobility Gear had somehow vanished. Well, only one thing to do now, it seemed.

Sighing resignedly to himself, he started toward the meagre settlement, hoping that there would be a clean bed available.

The streets were, surprisingly, not crowded. There were a few people who would glance at Levi, give him a once-over, and move on, but no one talked to him. Not a lot of businesses were open, but Levi spotted a tavern in between grocer and tailor shops. He made his way carefully to the bar, being certain as to not trip on the cobblestones and land in the dirt.

Pushing open the door, Levi came into a well-lit, spacious room crowded with tables and stools. By another's standards, the place would have been considered clean.

"Hello, good sir. And what shall you have?"

The question was posed to Levi without warning by a cheery ginger woman standing behind the bar.

Levi stared at her for a second to make sure that he wasn't seeing things. "Private Ral? I thought you were dead."

"Corporal. My, this is quite the surprise. Yes, I am dead. And by that same token, so are you, apparently." Petra answered him with a quick nod of the head.

"The fuck that's true. How could I have been killed?"

"Everyone dies sometimes, Captain. And weren't you always griping and complaining about how many recruits we lost _this_ time and all those who died _that_ time? You secretly hoped that it was you who had died instead of them, right? You had had your fill of life."

Levi ignored her and instead turned his head, eyes sweeping the interior of the building. "What are you doing in a shitty place like this? I would've thought better of you."

"It's good pay, no one gets drunk, and the shifts are light. Give me a reason why I _shouldn't_ be here, Captain." Petra began to clean the top of the bar with a rag, her eyes never leaving Levi's face.

"That piece of cloth had better be clean. If you're here, then where is the rest of my squad? And whoa- what the heck do you think you're doing?!"

Petra pushed him until he was no longer leaning on the bar, gaining access to the surface formerly beneath his forearms. "You were in my way, and yes,the cloth is clean. Do I look like an idiot to you?"

"You forgot my other question, brat."

"They are here as well. Eld owns the place, Oluo cooks - you should try his pies sometime, they're amazing - and Günther is the other bartender."

She finished cleaning and began to refill the tankards of the other customers.

"Are they here now, then?"

Levi's question drew Petra's attention to him, causing her to lose focus and almost spill the pitcher of ale which she held in her right hand.

"Hm? Oh, yes they are. Well, Eld and Oluo are, Günther has the next shift. Do you want to meet them?"

"Possibly. Do you have black tea here? Or do I have to find a tea shop?"

"I'm so sorry, but we don't. And there isn't a tea shop in this part of heaven. But we do have the best mead around. Would you like some?"

"Fine. No tea, huh? That's a disgrace."

Petra left the bar and returned minutes later with a stein of mead.

"Here. You sure you don't want anything to eat?"

"Depends on what you have."

"Does a meat pie sound good to you then?"

"Yes. Are there any rooms vacant?"

"Of course. You can stay as long as you need to. I'll be right back." Petra left to tell Oluo the food order and quickly returned. "Eld and Oluo should be out shortly. I think they'll be happy to see you. It has been a while."

Lifting the drink to his lips, Levi found himself to be thirstier than he first thought. He downed the mead quickly, relishing in the sensation as the cool liquid ran over his parched throat.

"Well, if it isn't the infamous Captain Levi. What brings you to this part of town?" Oluo appeared from behind Petra, sneering at the shorter man slouching on a stool.

"Apparently, I am no longer alive. What took you so long to get here? You constipated or something?"

Eld came forward with a grin on his face. "If you're wondering, he _was_ the constipated one this morning. Plugged up our only bathroom."

"Okay… too much information, Eld. I don't think the Captain needs to hear that." Petra was struggling to keep a smile off of her face.

"Brat, have you forgotten? He's not the Captain anymore. We're all dead."

"Old habits die hard. And stop copying him. It's annoying."

Oluo chose to ignore Petra, turning to Levi instead. "Right. Here's your pie. It's a specialty of mine, seeing as we never had a lot of meat when we were alive."

"You do realize that all this costs money, right? It doesn't matter if you were once our superior. You still have to pay." The grin dropped off of Eld's face as he took on a more serious demeanor. Oluo and Petra watched Levi closely, as if wondering how he would respond.

"Are you brats hiring? This place is nowhere near clean. Good pie, by the way."

Smiling because of the complement, Oluo exclaimed, "Glad to have you here, Captain! Well, I mean, it's not good that you're dead, but…"

"What Copycat Captain over here is trying to say is that we are happy to see you again."

"I assure you, the feeling is mutual. Please tell me that the rooms are in a better condition than this area."

"They are indeed. I'll give you a key now."

"Thank you, Petra."

Receiving the key, Levi noticed that there was a small number 9 engraved upon it.

"Just go down the hall. The room's on the left." Eld pointed to his right, where there was a doorway leading to the rest of the building. "I will draw a bath for you."

"That will be greatly appreciated."

Levi then proceeded to get off of the stool and walk towards his room. Upon arriving at the door, he opened it to reveal a small, but still comfortable, space. There was a single bed by a wall with a desk directly opposite. A window with curtains took up part of the west wall, and a silvered mirror covered the rest of the available area. Wrinkling his nose, Levi took in the (very) thin, almost nonexistent layer of dust lying on the surface of the desk and the floor. Doubtless, there would be even more dust in the sheets.

Eld returned carrying a change of clothes. "The bath is at the other end of the hall, and water's already been drawn."

"Thank you. Please procure a broom, I need it as soon as possible."

"Understood." Eld then turned away, heading back to the communal area.

Levi moved on to the bathroom, pleased to find that it was in a better state than his room. "Still needs work, though."

Closing the door firmly, he quickly undressed, glad to be free of his clothes which still had the filth of battle. He tested the water with one finger, and finding it quite warm, began the arduous task of cleansing himself of the dirt and grime caked upon his skin.

Finally stepping out of the bath, he pulled on the clothes given him by Eld. The pants, understandably, were too long. With a sigh he rolled the hems up a good few inches.

"Ah, good. You've finished. You had said that you wanted this broom?" Petra was standing outside of the door when Levi opened it.

"Yes I did. My room is covered in dust."

"I am so sorry, but none of us clean to your standards, sir."

"That will soon change."

"Have a good night, then, Levi. If you are going to work, you need to be up early."

"Yes, yes, good night."

Smiling ever so cheerfully, Petra turned away and went to the customers who were calling for her return.

Levi needed to clean. Not just because he wanted everything to be absolutely spotless, but because he had to have something to which he could direct his attention to for long periods of time. When he was in the Corps, he had battle tactics and strategies to devote his time to. It was a practically foolproof way to not make any contact with potential triggers. That, and the fact that the dead weren't talked about all that often. But here, where the deceased walk with him, where _he_ is deceased, he could feel the memories and flashbacks gathering together at the edge of his consciousness, waiting to break through his mental barrier and overwhelm him. And that was something he absolutely _had_ to make sure didn't happen. His comrades were here, and he most certainly did not want them to know how weak he was.

And so, he turned to cleaning. Something that he could do to not bring back memories of anything or anyone, save Isabel and Farlan. But he had already come to terms with their unfair fate, and it no longer weighed on his mind.

Tackling the sheets and curtains first, so as not to have to sweep the floorboards twice, he found that his assumption was correct. There was quite a bit of dust in the bedding.

"Tch. How disgusting."

It admittedly took him around three hours to finish his task, the last of it lit only by candles as the sun sank lower and lower on the horizon. It was still a long time till even midnight. If he wasn't an insomniac, he probably could have had a few hours of peaceful sleep before nightmares plagued his mind.

Realizing that there was nothing left to do, Levi left the broom leaning against the wall. Disregarding the bed waiting for him, he settled himself in the chair in front of the desk.

Succumbing to the darkness, he let the terrors tormenting him sweep through his semi-conscious self.

 **~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

 _It was the 57th Scouting Expedition again. Levi was riding in the rear center, leading his squad. With coordinated flares of red, green, and black, they were able to anticipate Titans and change directions swiftly. Until, of course, there was an anomaly that no one could foresee._

 _The Female Titan came from the right, causing the Corps to take refuge in a forest where they could use their 3DM-Gear if need be. Just as they wanted, she followed them right into the trap. Crashing through the trees, making instead of finding a path, the Titan killed all who tried to get close to her._

 _Levi raised his gun and fired off a sound grenade, alerting his position to the rest of the Legion. Still, he and his squad raced on, even though Jäger expressed his desires to turn and fight._

 _With a sudden signal from Erwin, the Female Titan was caught in a trap. Caged in by metal and wire, she could barely move as she protected her weak point with both hands._

 _Levi alighted upon a branch next to Erwin, watching the proceedings. "Looks like the bitch is intelligent. How unfortunate." Moving to stand on her head, he taunted her._

" _Oi. Would you mind if I cut off your limbs? Of course, I do mean that your human ones would end up missing as well." He received no response._

 _The Female Titan, realizing that she had no chance of escape, let out a piercing howl. In minutes she was surrounded by lesser-class Titans. They began to devour her, tearing at her with hands and teeth. Unseen by the others a small figure clad in green fled deep into the forest._

" _Retreat! Regroup at Karanes! There is no need for us to be here any longer!" The Squad Leaders did as Erwin commanded, firing off flares to alert their troops to the change in plans. As one, the Corps moved back towards the Wall._

 _One solitary trail of smoke appeared above the canopy of trees. The Special Ops Squad, noticing that their Captain was not with them (he had gone to replenish his swords and gas), thought it was he who had fired off the flare. They hurried to where they thought he was._

 _Out of nowhere, Gunther was cut down by a Survey Corps cloak. The Female Titan immediately reappeared out of seemingly nowhere. Oluo and Eld were next killed mercilessly, Petra the only one left to fight. Then she too ended up smashed against a tree with her back broken._

 _Back with the others, Levi noticed the unnatural absence of his Squad. He quickly came to the correct conclusion that they had gone off into the forest again. "Tch. What are those brats up to now?" He used the maneuvering equipment to fly swiftly towards them, hoping that they were still alive. Alas, that was not to be. One by one he saw them dead, Gunther still suspended in the air; Eld torn in half, reminiscent of Farlan's death. Oluo lay upon the ground in a growing pool of blood, Petra had her head turned up to the sky as she hugged an oak as if it were her best friend._

 _It was there where he stopped, pausing by Petra's body. He had the feeling that this place was a bit off, that nothing here was normal. Stilling his breathing and movement so as to better listen to his surroundings, he found that a faint voice was calling out to him._

" _Captain. Captain. Can you hear me?" There was no doubt about it. That voice belonged to Petra. At least, it once had._

 _Turning around, he saw that a form of her was indeed behind him. She had an ethereal appearance, as if she was no longer a part of this world. Her face and clothes were bloodied, and she looking to be in immense pain. All of a sudden, a thick black fog swirled around her, obscuring her from his view. Her cries changed._

" _Why does it hurt so much? I never thought that this would be the way that I'd die. This would be a meaningless death. I've yet done nothing on this expedition. Someone find me. Someone save me. Someone. Please, anyone. Someone please come. Captain, find me before I die. Captain, save me. Captain. Captain. Captain…."_

"Captain. Captain!" A voice, the same as he had just heard, cut through the vision he was experiencing. Opening his eyes, he saw a shock of ginger hair and worried amber orbs peering at him.

"Oh, good. You're awake. You had me worried, Captain. I came just a few minutes ago to see what you were doing, and you were still asleep. You had the most dreadful expression on your face, too. It was as if you were staring at something you absolutely detested. Did you have a nightmare?"

"Well, I'm up now. Whatever dream I could have had does not matter anymore. I assume that there is breakfast for me as well as cleaning to do?"

"Yes. Eat whenever you wish." With that, Petra left his side and walked away from him. Pausing by the doorway, she stopped only to say, "It really was quite lonely here without you, Captain. We are all glad that you are here, yet we do wish that you had lived a bit longer." She continued on her way, disappearing down the hall.


End file.
